I have a Sony stereo mic which is fine for recording on computer and mini disc. Naively I thought I coud plug it into the aux socket on my stereo, strap it to the whistle and have amplified whistle which could be heard above my wife’s drum kit. It doesn’t work. No sound comes out. Why?
So looks like I have to buy another mic for this purpose. Any suggestions? I don’t want to spend a fortune.
It’s because the mic is outputing a signal at mic level, and the aux socket wants it at line level. You need to find some way to boost the mic signal to reach line level or (probably more sensibly) find something that expects to have a mic plugged into it.
Also the ‘powered monitor’ speakers often have a mic jack.
You might get one of those little speaker-amps for guitars if it has a
socket labelled “mic”. Sometimes you can get a used one in a music store.
If you’re not overly concerned about sound quality but just want louder,
that might work in a pinch.
You might ask your drummer wife to play with brushes or with those big
sticks which look like giant cotton buds, I think they are for timpani. http://www.timpanisticks.com/index.html
My fiddler husband’s a drummer too. Good luck! - Lesl
Plug the mic into the mini-disc, then take the output from the mini-disc to the aux input of the stereo. That should do it (the mini-disc will serve as a pre-amp).
Plug the mic into the mini-disc, then take the output from the mini-disc to the aux input of the stereo. That should do it (the mini-disc will serve as a pre-amp).
That sounds good but it doesn’t work - maybe if I read the manual I can find a setting though. As it is when I turn it on it starts to playback something. If I stop playback it quickly shuts down. I find the mini disc menus the most unintuitive yet. Ah I probably have to put it in record mode - can always delete the recording afterwards. Yes that works but not very well. I need the mike close to the windway where it picks up wind noises.
Hi bjs, I use the Maplin Tie Clip Mic bellow. http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=32220&doy=10m5
They’re good value for money and robust.
What I do is remove the plastic housing that surrounds the Mic module (discarding the top bit and sliding the bottom bit down the wire out of the way) and use a piece of the heat shrink rubber tubing they sell http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=301&doy=10m5
to keep the mic and cable together.
Position the Mic (I use Bluetac) above the wind way looking down in the direction of the fipple.
Hi bjs, I use the Maplin Tie Clip Mic bellow. http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=32220&doy=10m5
They’re good value for money and robust.
What I do is remove the plastic housing that surrounds the Mic module (discarding the top bit and sliding the bottom bit down the wire out of the way) and use a piece of the heat shrink rubber tubing they sell http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=301&doy=10m5
to keep the mic and cable together.
Position the Mic (I use Bluetac) above the wind way looking down in the direction of the fipple.
Thanks John. That sounds good. I can then plug into the stereo’s aux input can I? Looking at it, it seems I would need another cable adapter. That plug thing is a preamp?
Hi Brian, the plug bit contains a battery to power the electret mic but no pre-amp so it’s a mic level output.
Maplin do some Mic pre-amps. http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=2921&doy=12m5
The top one is very expensive for what it does, I’d go for the bottom Kit which is easy to assemble if you can solder.
You could get someone else to assemble it if you haven’t got the skills.
You’d have to put it in a box with a battery and sockets (all available from Maplin) but for around £10 total cost you’d have what you need.
If you’re just “dorking around” then you can head to your local WalMart and get one of the $29 amps in the music section. Just plug the mic into it and set the thing for your preferences. It’s inexpensive, easy, and will do the trick. You MAY need to get an adapter to have the mic plug enlarged.
I don’t believe we have Walmart yet but I found this somewhere:
Spreading across the globe like a nasty skin condition, Wal-Mart - the worlds largest and most unpleasant retailer - now threatens to infect towns and communities around the UK.
Shoot. I was sure that they had already landed their “Blue Vested Invasion” over into the UK. It may be possible to hit eBay and search for a “First Act” amplifier. They’re only around $30 USD here. If you’re not having any luck, I can look in my stock here at home to see if I have another one (which I usually do).
The top one is very expensive for what it does, I’d go for the bottom Kit which is easy to assemble if you can solder.
You could get someone else to assemble it if you haven’t got the skills.
You’d have to put it in a box with a battery and sockets (all available from Maplin) but for around £10 total cost you’d have what you need.
I didn’t see a top and bottom kit but the one there was cheap enough. next stop get some solder. I have a soldering iron.
Radio Snack … I mean Radio Shack has amplified speakers and mic pre-amps and a good cheap electret mic which is tiny enough to clip on to your whistle. And the adapter for different sized mic plugs.
Save your good mic for your MD.
Pignose makes an excellent amp/speaker that works with a mic, and it’s battery-powered. Crate makes a great plug-in amp/speaker.
On the other hand, why not ask your wife to play more quietly, or switch to hand percussion?
I can record using the Sony mic clipped under my chin. Clipped on the whistle it picks up too much breath. Now my question. I just discovered that there is a little space inside the mic where a button battery should go, but it works well without it. So if I get a battery what difference am I likely to find?
BTW just sent my recording effort (Emma’s Jig) to clips and snips.
Notice that your mic is directional. And I quote, “Stereo Unidirectional (Cardioid) Pickup Patterns are more sensitive to sounds from the front, less sensitive to sounds from the side; tend to reject extraneous noise and emphasize the sound you want to record”
"Back Electret Condenser pickup capsules for exceptional dynamic range and wide frequency response - two critical factors in high fidelity performance "
That means put your battery in right away, and don’t forget to check it once in a while!
The mic has a switch on it for power. I got the battery and switched on. A little red light flashed but didn’t stay on and the recording quality seems no different. I didn’t have a spec for the battery but the one I got from a camera shop fitted the slot available. I am suspicious - would expect the little light to remain on when recording.
I have bought the Maplin preamp and some solder so am getting there slowly.
You have to keep the electret charged (it is essentially a capacitor). Without the battery the charge would dribble off and the mic would make no sound.
Keeping the red light on would drain your battery faster. If it flashed on as you describe, all is well. Change the battery when the light doesn’t go on. I am hoping you got the right KIND of battery. Alkalines last a long time; the hearing-aid batteries don’t.
All of this should be in the instructions that should have come with the unit. Your best bet for more info is Sony’s website or (if you are patient) Sony customer service or the kind of store that sells those things locally.
I have no idea why you mentioned solder and don’t want to know. All audio devices are made to work with each other. Adapter plugs are a few bucks at Radio Shack, Wal-Mart (yuck), Best Buy and a gazillion other places. There shouldn’t be anything to solder, unless that preamp is a kit of some kind.
It probably would have been cheaper and easier to have gotten a recorder that has a mic preamp built in. Now you’ve got one more thing to carry, one more set of wires to be careful with and (I’m guessing) one more set of batteries to keep track of.
